The Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands, in South Australia’s far northwest, will be subject tofurther isolation measures to secure its borders and keep vulnerable Anangu safe.

The time has come for APY to implement a blanket shutdown of APY communities from today.

APY was the first Indigenous body in Australia to earlier this month introduce strict new rules for entry intoits lands in response to the pandemic.

APY General Manager Richard King said the COVID 19 pandemic has given rise to unprecedentedcircumstances with immediate and potentially fatal consequences for APY Lands residents, who have welldocumented poor health and living conditions.

The decision to completely shut APY’s borders across three states follows an announcement by SouthAustralian Premier Steven Marshall, who has responsibility for Aboriginal affairs, to shut the state’sborders.

APY leaders have been working with government authorities, Aboriginal health agencies and communitygroups to ensure the threat of coronavirus is minimised in what are some of the world's most vulnerablecommunities.

From 4pm on Tuesday, March 24 the APY Lands will implement strict border controls for all access points,including road and air.

Any essential service providers that hold a permit to enter the APY Lands will be required to quarantine andnot have contact with Anangu while on the lands.

There will be exemptions of entry to the lands for health, emergency services and policing personnel, withstrict guidelines in place to monitor and manage this.

APY are consulting with essential service providers to ensure their workforce requirements can be metwhile guaranteeing community safety for this period.

Mr King said Anangu and the health of Anangu comes first.

APY is continuing to advocate for government help to prepare isolated and remote communities for thepandemic.

There have been no known COVID-19 cases among APY Lands residents to date, but the Prime Minister hasexpressed concern about the vulnerability of those in remote Indigenous communities, including the APYLands.

During the 2009 A(H1N1) swine flu outbreak, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 11 percent of all identified cases, 20 per cent of hospitalisations and 13 per cent of deaths. Indigenous people are8.5 times more likely to be hospitalised during a virus outbreak.